Dispensing device for volatile products



1951 J. HENCHERT DISPENSING DEVICE FOR VOLA'IfILE PRODUCTS Filed May 21, 1948 a F 9 7 W m 0 a o J 1 9 2 4 M 3 w 3 3 6 l 7 w 7 I |J|lli|||l IIIIIIIIII... J i 1 2 6 W 3 v z w a 4 J l 2 m 4 w all 1 3 6 1 7 f MHI ss 1 2 Patented Nov. 6, 1951 DISPENSING DEVICE FOR VOLATILE PRODUCTS John Henchert, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application May 21, 1948, Serial No. 28,337

. 2 Claims.

The invention relates 'to new and useful improvements in a dispensing valve unit for volatile products retained in containers under pressure.

An object of the invention is to provide a dispensing valve unit of the above type wherein a valve body has upper and lower chambers connected by a passage in which moves a valve operating stem carrying a valve with sufficient clearance to provide a restricted flow channel for the product being dispensed and wherein the valve is yieldingly held closed by a spring disposed in said upper valve chamber and bearing against an abutment plate carried at the upper end of said valve stem. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a dispensing valve unit of the above type wherein the valve is opened by the inwardly flexing of a disc extending across and clamped to the valve body and forming the upper wall thereof.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a vertical sectional view through the valve dispensing unit and the supply pipe which is adapted to extend to a point adjacent the bottom of the container to which the valve unit is attached;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing a slight modification in the form of valve arrangement.

The invention has to do with a dispensing valve unit for volatile products, gases or liquids retained under pressure in a container. While the unit is capable of general use, it is particularly adapted for spraying liquid aerosol composition.

In the drawings, a portion of a can end is shown with the improved dispensing valve unit attached thereto. The drawings are on a very enlarged scale.

The valve unit includes a body portion I having a depending skirt 2 spaced away from the body portion. The skirt isadapted to extend down over a flange 3 upwardly formed on a can end 4 preferably of metal. When metal is used, then the skirt is secured to this upstanding flange by solder bonding in the usual manner. The body of the valve is shaped so as to provide an upper chamber 5 and a lower chamber 6. The body portion I providing the lower chamber 6 extends down into the container and a tube 1 is attached thereto. This tube is adapted to extend to the bottom of the container and serves as a means through which the fluid is forced by pressure in the container into the lower chamber.

There is a partition 8 which separates the upper chamber from the lower chamber and this partition is provided with a passageway or opening 9. A valve stem It] extends through this passageway with sufficient clearance so as to provide a'restricted flow channel for the product to be dispensdj At' the lower end of the valve stem, as shown in Figure 1, there is a reduced neck portion II and a valve head I2. Mounted on the stem is a gasket l3, preferably of rubber. This gasket is of substantially the same size as the valve head. Surrounding the passageway at the lower side of the partition 8 is a smooth valve seat I4. The gasket has an opening centrally thereof large enough sothat it can be stretched and forced down over the valve stem and seated in the cut-away portion so that it rests against the head l2 of the valve and becomes a permanent part of the valve. The gasket I3 is adapted to engage the valve seat when the valve is raised and thus the passage is closed so that no fluid will pass therethrough into the upper chamber.

At the upper end of the valve stem is an abutment plate [5. Said valve stem has a reduced portion l6 and the abutment plate is provided with an opening which extends down over this reduced portion against the shoulder at the lower end thereof. The upper end of the stem is then riveted down, as indicated at IT, so as to rigidly attach the abutment plate to the valve stem. This abutment plate has a depending skirt [8 which extends down into the chamber 5 and freely moves up and down therein. A spring 19 rests on the upper side of the partition 8 and engages the under side of the abutment plate l5. This spring will raise the valve into contact with the seat M and thus close the passage under normal conditions.

The upper end of the valve body is provided with an upstanding flange 2D. Extending across the valve body and forming the upper wall of the chamber 5 is a disc 2 I. This disc is preferably of rubber. The disc extends all the way across the upper end of the body of the valve unit and is clamped against the end portion 22 of the valve unit by bending the upstanding flange inwardly over the peripheral edge of the disc. The dimensioning of the disc is such that when the flange is forced inwardly, the pressure of theflange will not only provide a tight seal but it will cause the central portion of the dis-c to bow outwardly, as shown in Figure 1.

The valve body is provided with a nozzle 23 having a restricted dispensing passage 24 therethrough. This passage connects with the chamber 5. The clearance space between the wall of the passage 9 and the valve stem has an area substantially equal to the area of the dispensing passage 24. The width of the opening, however, is about one-tenth of the diameter of this passage and, therefore, any large specks of dirt, chemical, crystals or other solid foreign material which would block 01f the orifice 24 will not pass through this annular opening around the stem ID. The upperchaniber is of minimum size to permit proper expansion of the volatile liquid after passing through the restricted passage 9 before it is 6 dispensed through the passage 24. This small chamber permits "a small accumulation of liquid or vapor therein to be immediately dispersed when the valve is opened so there is no delayed spraying action.

It is noted that the spring l9 .doescnot contact.

with the valve stem and neither doesit contact a with the inner wall of the chamber. The liquid product as it expands into the upper chamber and atomizes will contact with the spring as it passes into and about the coils thereof and this will assist in the breaking up and atomizingof the product.

The dispensing of the product is accomplished by applying thumb pressure to the disc [5. This will flex the :disc inwardly, causing it .toccontact with the upper end of thevalve stem and force the valve stem downwardly, -.moving the gasket away from the valve seat and permitting the liquid product toflowipast the valve and through the restricted passage 2 and :befrelea'se'd into the chamber where it will vaporize andthen pass through the restricted passage 24, where :it .is further released inthe form of .;a spray.

In the modified form shown in Figure 2, the valve unitis the same structure as that described above in connection with Figure :1, except as to the construction :of the valveseat and the iarrangement'o'f the valve trelative thereto and, therefore, like numerals have "been applied to Figure 2. In this .figure, the valve stem H] has a relatively long reduced section =25. However, the valve stem at the upper end of the reducedse'c 'ion is so dimensioned as to diameter and as to length thatiit extends into :the passage through the partition 8 "and provides a "restricted passage 26 through which theliquid product is released into'the upper'chamber .5. Atthe lower sidex'of the partition is a gasket 21, pref-- erably of rubber. The gasket has :an opening '29 therethrough which' is substantially "the same in diameter as the passage 'Siin the partition separating the upper chamber from thelower chamber. The gasket is slightly greater" in diameter than the chamber 6 so .that it can be forcedinto the'chamber and will remain fixed :for providing anelastic valve seat at its under face.

The valve stem is provided with a metalrhead 28 which engages the valve seat and closesthe passage through the partition 8 and the restricted passage leading therefrom into the chamber =5. When the valve is depressed, the metal valve head will'move away from the gasket seat and the fluid-will pass around the valve headand through the opening 29 in the gasket seat and thus through the passage and into the chamber 5. .A nozzle 23 is attached to the valve unit'and is provided with a restricted passage 24, as described above in connection with Figure 1.

The operation of the valve unit, as shown in Figure 2, is the same as that shownin Figure 1 and description thereof is not'thought necessary.

It is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction may be made without'rdeparting from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A dispensing device for liquid products retained under pressuracomprisinga valve body having a lower chamber and 'an'upper expansion chamber arranged one above-the other, said body having a partition between said chambers and a passage through the partitionfor-connecting thesame, a horizontal valvezseat surrounding the dispensing :device hav'ing a dispensing orifice connected to said upper chamber, an abutment plate rigidly connected to the upper end of said stem,

-a springsurrounding said stem and bearing at its upper end against said abutment plate, the lower end-or-said spring resting on the partition as an abutment, said spring operating for normally holding the valve closed, aflexible disk=extcnding across and clamped to :the valve "body .=for :forming the upper wall of said upper chamber, said valve body havin .means .for clamping the peripheral edge portionzof sai'dtdisk so asto 'bowthe sameupwardly so thatfingerpressure on thexdisk will cause the disk to engage the abutment plate and move the valve stem for opening'the valve.

2. A dispensing device :ior liquid products retained under pressure, comprising a valve body having a lower chamber and an upper expansion chamberarranged oneabove the other, said body having a partition :between said chambers and a passage through the partitionfor connecting the same, a horizontal valve seat surroundin the passage at the lower end thereof, a'valveadapted to engage said seat, :a valve stem carrying said valve and extending through said passage to the upper end of said expansion chamber, said "stem and passage being dimensioned so a's'to provide a'restricted annular flow channel of uniform cross sectional dimensions for discharging the liquid products into saidiupper expansion chamber, said dispensing devicehaving a dispensing orifice connected to said upper chamber, an abutmentplate rigidly connected to the :upper end ofsaid stem, a'spring'surrounding said istemand bearing at its upper end against said abutment plate, theglower end :of :said' spring *resting on the partition :as an abutment, said spring operating for normally holding the valve ,closed,'said valve :body having "an :upwardly extendin flange at the :upper: outer edge thereof, a flexible diskextendinglacross :the valve :body and :disposed withinthe upstanding .fiange .for forming the upper wall .of the expansion chamber, said ifiange :being bent into-en agement with the disk for providingga sealed connection'between the disk; and the valve 'body' and for bowing said disk putwardly so that :finger pressure on theadisk willcausethe disk to engage the abutment :plate and-move the valve stem for opening the valve.

, JOHN HENCHERT.

-REFEB,ENGES CITED The following references are of :record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 980,260 :Hodgkinson Jan. 3, 1911 1,800,156 -Rotheim Apr-.37, 1931 2,072,816 -Hill, Jr. Mar..2, 1-937 2,372,392 Pletman Mar. 27, 19.45 2,452,215 .Williams Oct. 26,1948

EOREIGN EPATEN TS Number Country "Date 28,975 Australia June-11,1931 

